Well, I never thought I would start doubting the one dealership that I had always trusted. Here is what happened. When I bought my 2.5i wagon a couple of months ago, I had the dealership install a rear spoiler on it. After the spoiler was installed, I thought it was a little loose when I compared it to the ones that came stock on the WRX wagons. I didn't think much of it until this week. The spoiler had loosened itself so much that it was hanging on the last two threads of its mounting bolts. After removing the spoiler, I confirmed that two of the mounting holes that were drilled into my car were drilled too big, 20 mm instead of 15 mm.

After discovering this, I brought the car into the new dealership near me to get some advice. After talking to his manager, the service adviser informed me that they can find a creative solution to help me out, but replacing the hatch, as I had requested, was not possible because of the cost. It was understandable since it was not their mistake.

Next Monday, I will be bringing the car into the dealership that originally sold me the car and installed the spoiler. They said they would look at it and let me know what they can do. To me, anything less than a new hatch is not acceptable. If they want to do a "creative" solution, I will definitely be bringing back to the new dealership instead. I do not want plates welded on, washers expoxied, or any other makeshift solutions. It is a new car, and I would like it to be new.

I'll let you know what happens after my Monday appointment. As I said, this is a dealership that i have always trusted, ever since I had my bugeye wagon. I hope they live up to my expectations, but from my last couple of experiences with my car and my wife's car in there for service, I am a little nervous. Ever since the previous service manager became the sales manager, his replacement has somewhat been disappointing.

 

im not trying to start a bash on dealerships thread.... but could you give us the name of the dealership that did the shoddy work?

 

I wouldn't call it shoddy work. It was an honest mistake. What is going to make the difference is how they propose to rectify it. I did not really want to say their name because so far, they are still a really good dealership, one of the best I would say. Depending on how things work out on Monday, I may reveal the name at that point.

 

It sucks that they screwed up, but if I were in your shoes, I would take a "creative" solution as a fix, specially since you wont see it, as long as it works. Getting a new hatch means getting it painted, and the paint is not going to be an exact match.

 

i think edy has a point, i also see your point in not wwanting to point fingers until you find out what they will do to rectify the situation...

your a good man!!!

 

Well, it's sad to say, but I am crossing Santa Cruz Subaru off my list of dealerships to go to for service. I went in on early Monday morning to try to resolve the issue with my spoiler that I mentioned in my original post. I would have preferred a Saturday appointment, but the service manager, Mark, does not work Saturdays. So I got there at 7 a.m. yesterday to meet with Mark. When I arrived, he took a quick look at the car and told me that he will need the body shop to look at it. The meant that I will have to wait there until 8:30. Since I had already described the situation to him over the phone when I made the appointment, why did he have me come in so early just so that I can wait an hour and a half for the body shop to open? Anyway, while he was writing up my paperwork to do an inspect and advice, I asked him which body shop he will be using and he reassured me that it was a good body shop and that he has referred many similar situations to that same shop. I was not sure if he was saying that just to assure me that the body shop was a reputable shop, or if the dealership really screws up so many spoiler installs.

After sitting in the waiting room for over an hour, I was called out to my car and told that I would have to bring my car back on Thursday so that the body shop can work on it. When I asked what specifically the body shop would be doing to fix the problem, Mark told me that they would do their “magic”. When I ask for more details, he was not able to provide any. I am very uncomfortable handing my car over when I do not know what will be done to it. At that point, I told him that I would have another shop take a look at it before proceeding with any work. When I said that, he told me that he had already given my spoiler to the body shop to begin the prep work. I couldn’t believe it! There was not prep work needed since there was no damage to the spoiler at all. Mark started to tell me that it was a really good body shop that he was referring this job to.

I did not care how good the body shop was. I was flabbergasted that he had handed my spoiler to a third-party contractor when there wasn’t even a work order on the work to be done. I immediately requested for the return of my spoiler when in turn I was told that I would have to pick the spoiler up myself at the body shop. It was at this point that I knew I would not be returning to Subaru of Santa Cruz for further service, even the free oil changes. As I prepare to leave, I told Mark how disappointed I was, not just in the rookie mistake the tech made when installing the spoiler and not just in how he handled the situation, but really in how throughout this entire ordeal, he never took into account that this was the dealership’s fault, and that I am having to go out of my way to deal with it. He was treating this as a routine warranty repair. Mark never acknowledged that his department was at fault and that I am taking time off work so that I could come in on a weekday to work with him on this. It was not until I was ready to leave that he offered his apology for my inconvenience.

On the flip side, I immediately drove to Capitol Subaru after I left Santa Cruz. When I arrived there, the service adviser, Justin, immediately called his body shop and someone from the body shop arrived in less than 15 minutes. The three of us looked at the car together and come up with a solution that I was willing to live with. I took to heart the advice that you guys gave me about not replacing the hatch. Right after, I gave the keys over to Justin, and he set me up with a rental car to use while the body shop has the car.

On one hand, I was disappointed that Subaru of Santa Cruz let me down, but I am glad to find that Capitol Subaru is right there to fill the spot.

 

i knew you were talking about Santa Cruz Subaru at first but didn't want to guess. or i guess I didn't want to believe it.

I am sorry you had to go through this. Santa Cruz Subaru has always been good to me. Then again, I haven't been there since I moved out of Santa Cruz. I've heard things have *changed* a bit since but didn’t know it was like this.

Good to hear that Capitol is helping you out. Let’s hope Capitol stays that way.

 

Yeah, ever since Bruce changed his role as service manager to sales manager, the service department at Santa Cruz has not been the same. This was not the first time that they have disappointed me, but I think it will be the last though.

 

This was a very descriptive write-up of your customer service experience. Sad to hear Santa Cruz didnt take more responsibility for their installation. Im trying to fill in some missing pieces of the story. So I'm assuming you purchased the Wagon from them without the spoiler option and you decided a while later to get one installed as a separate purchase? Or did you want the spoiler when you first took the delivery of your Subie? If it was the latter, then I think they really should have given you a new hatch. When you got the hatch and spoiler back, was it already sanded and/or primered? Also, if you dont mind me asking, what was the solution that you and Capitol Subaru came up with?
-Jon

 

When I bought the wagon, it didn't have a spoiler so I ordered a spoiler to be added at that time. I scheduled an appointment to go back after they received the spoiler in their shipment.

It was just the spoiler that the body shop took with them yesterday. When I got the spoiler back from the body shop, nothing was done to it. One, because nothing needed to be done on the spoiler specifically, and two, they only had the spoiler for about 30 minutes.

The solution that was agreed upon amongst Capitol Subaru, Michael J's Body Shop, and me was to weld onto the inside of the hatch a small plate that has the right size hole drilled into it, then grind down the welding, and seal and repaint the section around the hole. I was comfortable accepting that solution after the rep from the body shop told me that the work will be warranted for as long as I owned the car.

 

i wonder if capitol is the new santa cruz? meaning the good one as opposed to stevens creek

 

I might be kicking a dead horse here, but this sounds a bit more PARANOIA than a dealership not owning up to a mistake?!

I am familiar with the body shop that the 'Old Faithful' dealership uses, and they do nothing short of outstanding work. Because the service adviser is not a body shop technician, I think it would be wrong to hold him accountable for not being able to explain every intimate detail of the procedure.


Then I see the comment you posted below:

...Followed by:


Those two comments were a bit contradicting, don't you think?


Other than the tedious task of holding still at the dealership for an hour while the situation was properly inspected, you would have been able to drive YOUR OWN CAR home until the service was ready to be performed. (which would have likely been done the same day you dropped it off the next time) All this at no additional cost to you? They needed not to make any excuses, only provide a solution. You just needed to allow them to fix the mistake.


My $0.02...

 

sounds like it should be a easy fix. so dont worry about that "creative" solution; i bet its a piece of cake to a body shop.

as for the waiting over an hour, yeah, thats a pain in the ***. put in a gripe about it and if theyre customer service friendly, theyll compensate for it. if not, screw them.